A Year-End Pause: Rest, Reflection, and Reset
written by Pippa Rauch
In South Africa, December doesn’t always feel like a slow, reflective season. It’s full of Christmas preparations, long summer days, braais with friends, and time at the beach. The energy is light, social, and celebratory. And yet, beneath the busyness, this season still offers a valuable opportunity: a chance to reflect, reset, and rest.
It’s easy to get swept up in the festivities and then catapult straight into the new year. But if we pause for a moment, the end-of-year break can become a powerful threshold. Reflection allows us to look back with curiosity - noticing what gave us energy, what drained us, where we stretched, and where we struggled. Resetting gives us alignment - asking what we want to carry into the new year and what we’re ready to leave behind. Resting gives us renewal - making space to “just be,” so we can begin again with strength and clarity.
Goal-setting has its place, but it becomes so much more meaningful when it flows from reflection and rest. And sometimes the most important goal we can set is simply to live the next season more in tune with who we are.
So, as you move between beach days, braais, and family gatherings, give yourself permission to slow down when you can. Take a quiet walk, write down a few thoughts, or sit in the sun with nothing to do. Growth doesn’t only happen in action; it also happens in the stillness that allows us to remember who we are and where we’re heading.
If you’d like to use this season to reflect on your career, here are a few questions you might sit with:
● Looking back at this past year, what moments at work gave me the most energy and satisfaction?
● What challenges stretched me, and what did I learn from them?
● Where did I feel out of alignment with my values, and what might I do differently next year?
● What am I proud of, even if it’s something small?
● What do I hope for in my career in the year ahead? Not only in terms of goals, but also in how I want to feel at work?
You don’t need to have polished answers. Even a few honest notes in a journal, or a reflective conversation with a friend, can become part of your compass for the year ahead.
If you’d like support in reflecting on your year and aligning with what matters most in the one ahead, I’d love to be your Career Thinking partner. Together we can explore your compass points and shape your next steps with clarity and intention.
